The study was based on an online survey—built, distributed, and managed by 3C—that asked California college students about their familiarity with Active Minds, a national organization that provides support for student-led mental health clubs on college campuses. The survey also assessed students’ attitudes about, understanding of, and personal experiences with mental health issues, both their own and others’.

In a Washington Post article published in late June, one of the study’s lead authors, Brad Stein, senior physician policy researcher at the Rand Corp., noted, “Student-organized activities can improve college student mental-health attitudes and play an important role in improving the campus climate with respect to mental health.”

The study results bear that assertion out. Responses from later time points—the survey was conducted three times during the 2016-17 school year—indicate increased knowledge about mental health issues, as well as decreased stigma and a willingness to help fellow students experiencing a mental health crisis.